Astronomers find planet with water in atmosphere

COLLEGE STATION, Pa., Feb. 26 (UPI) -- Astronomers have detected water in the atmosphere of a planet as big as Jupiter, but much hotter, that orbits the star tau Boötis -- one of two stars in a binary system some 51 light-years away.

The scientists discovered the planet, now named tau Boötes b, and its watery atmosphere using a new technique, one they think will help them locate additional water-bearing planets.

"Planets like tau Boötes b, which are as massive as Jupiter but much hotter, do not exist in our solar system," explained Chad Bender, co-author of a paper detailing the discovery. "Our detection of water in the atmosphere of tau Boötes b is important because it helps us understand how these exotic hot-Jupiter planets form and evolve. It also demonstrates the effectiveness of our new technique, which detects the infrared radiation in the atmospheres of these planets."

This isn't the first time water vapor has been detected in a faraway planet's atmosphere. But previous techniques required very specific circumstances. A planet couldn't be too far away from the host star, for example. Another detection method required a planet to be passing directly in front of its host star when being observed from Earth.

The new infrared technique developed by Bender and his fellow researchers at the Penn State Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics is much more flexible, opening up a larger swatch of the universe to water detection.

New super-powered infrared telescopes like the James Webb Space Telescope and the Thirty Meter Telescope -- both currently in development -- could help astronomers scour even more of the universe for water, honing in on planets that are colder, farther away from their host star and more likely to have water.

United Press International is a leading provider of news, photos and information to millions of readers around the globe via UPI.com and its licensing services.

With a history of reliable reporting dating back to 1907, today’s UPI is a credible source for the most important stories of the day, continually updated - a one-stop site for U.S. and world news, as well as entertainment, trends, science, health and stunning photography. UPI also provides insightful reports on key topics of geopolitical importance, including energy and security.

A Spanish version of the site reaches millions of readers in Latin America and beyond.

UPI was founded in 1907 by E.W. Scripps as the United Press (UP). It became known as UPI when after a merger with the International News Service in 1958, which was founded in 1909 by William Randolph Hearst. Today, UPI is owned by News World Communications.